


In Poor Health

by Rubymoon_Snape



Series: Mama Lions [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Dads of Marmora (Voltron), Gen, M/M, Mama lions - Freeform, Parental Red Lion (Voltron), Pining Keith/Lance (Voltron), Sentient Voltron Lions, Sick Alteans, Sick Character, Sick Paladins, Space Dad Keith, broganes, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 13:52:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18757741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubymoon_Snape/pseuds/Rubymoon_Snape
Summary: When everyone else in the castle falls ill, it is up to Keith to take care of everyone and defend the castle.





	In Poor Health

**Author's Note:**

> Author Note: This is AU, where Thace, Ulaz, Antok, and Regris survived. Keith considers the BoM his pack, and they consider Keith their kit. The BoM are only mentioned in this ficlet; they do not make an appearance. This is Broganes and Klance. This was suggested by RangerHorseTug.

"In Poor Health"

Keith woke up feeling wonderful. He actually got a full night's sleep and didn't have a nightmare. He felt rested and ready to take on the day for the first time in who knows how long. He got dressed and headed for the kitchen. He grabbed a couple of water pouches, an alien protein bar, and opened the fridge. There was a container that held slices of cucumbers that Hunk made for him the night before. Keith smiled. Hunk didn't like the fact that Keith tended to skip meals, so he made sure there was always something for Keith to eat. He took his food and drink to the training deck and set it and his jacket to the side. He pulled out his bayard and activated it. "Start training level three."

The gladiator dropped down and immediately clashed swords with the Red Paladin. Keith fought hard and actually beat the level. He grinned, still feeling energized. "Start training level four."

He kept going and beat the next two levels before he got disarmed, but he pulled out his Marmora blade and shifted it to its short sword form, continuing his attack. He beat level six and decided to take a break. He sat down on the sidelines and drank some of the water from one of the pouches. As he was eating the protein bar, he looked at his data pad and saw that the rest of the castle's inhabitants should be up, except for Lance. He still tended to sleep in, even after Pidge repoed her headphones. Hunk was most likely in the kitchen, Allura and Coran were on the bridge, Pidge was probably in Green Lion's hangar, and Shiro...was walking onto the training deck.

Keith put away his data pad and stood up. He was about to call out to his brother, but one look made him hold his tongue. Something was off. Shiro's gait was unsteady, and he was sweating like he had already been working out. Keith's eyes widened as he saw Shiro sway.

"Takashi!" Keith rushed over to Shiro and caught the man before he fell. He gently lowered Shiro to the floor. He definitely had a fever and looked sick in general.

"Keith, I-"

"Should be resting. You're always telling me to do that, and yet you don't follow your own advice. I'm taking you to the lounge. No arguments." Keith helped Shiro to his feet and almost dragged him all the way to the lounge.

To his surprise, Lance and Hunk were both curled up on the couch, both looking like death warmed over. Keith let Shiro collapse on the couch. He tapped his chin thoughtfully, gazing at the obviously sick Paladins. He nodded decisively and left the room. He headed back to his room and gathered a bunch of blankets he had in there as he liked to make a nest to sleep in sometimes. He did stop by the storage areas as he needed more blankets to make a huge nest for the sick Paladins to rest in.

As he passed the Green Lion's hangar, he saw Pidge leaning forward and resting her forehead against the top of her lap top. He entered the hangar, calling out, "Pidge?"

Her eyes shot open, and she raised an eyebrow at his armful. "Where are you taking those?"

"To the lounge. I'm making a nest for Lance, Hunk, and Shiro to rest in. They're sick." Keith leaned forward and peered at Pidge. "And so are you. Come with me, Pidge. Don't make me carry you."

"You can't carry me and all of those blankets at the same time."

"Yes. I can. Training with the Blades isn't just sword techniques. There's also conditioning. I can carry almost any Blade on my back. Don't test me please."

Pidge decided she wasn't going to cooperate and was unceremoniously flung over Keith's shoulder as he carried the blankets in one arm and pinned Pidge's legs to his chest with the other. He gently put her on the couch as well before he constructed a large comfortable nest. He moved Pidge and a half-conscious Lance to the nest. He gingerly nudged Hunk and Shiro and told them to move to the nest as it gave them the option of sleeping in any position they wanted. Keith made sure they did before going to the bridge to tell the Alteans about the sick Paladins.

When he got to the bridge, he was surprised to see Allura sitting in the Blue Paladin seat. He had never seen her sit there before. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Allura?"

"Oh, Keith. Hello."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. Coran thinks I just need to sit and drink some water."

Just then, the advisor entered the bridge and approached the princess and Paladin. "Hello, number four. Here you go, Princess."

"Thank you, Coran."

Keith watched as the older Altean handed a water pouch to the princess. Coran didn't seem like his usual self. In fact, both Alteans looked like they had come down with the same thing the rest of the Paladins had. "I originally came to tell you both that the other Paladins were sick, but it seems like the both of you are as well."

"Don't be ridiculous, number four. I am fine."

Keith was suddenly extremely close to Coran's face and then Allura's, sniffing. "No. Both of you smell sick like the other Paladins. Please come to the lounge or I will carry you down."

"I don't think-"

"Pidge doubted I could carry her and the blankets I collected for the nest I made, and I proved her wrong."

The Alteans were silent for a moment before they followed Keith to the lounge without complaint. They sat down in the nest, making themselves comfortable. Keith entered the nest, checking on his teammates. He petted Hunk's hair and plucked the glasses from Pidge's face so she wouldn't have to worry about them. After a few doboshes, he moved over to Lance and nuzzled him. He opened his fever bright blue eyes. "Mullet?"

Shh, Lance. It's okay. Just go back to sleep. I've got you," Keith crooned to his crush.

Lance's eyes slid closed again, and he drifted off, somewhere between sleep and wakefulness. After another few doboshes, Keith moved to the two Alteans and purred to them, braiding Allura's hair. "Where did you learn to braid hair?"

"Antok taught me. He usually braids Kolivan's and it is a useful skill."

When Keith was done and mostly convinced Allura and Coran were resting, he moved over to Shiro and actually started grooming his short hair. Shiro relaxed against Keith, grateful for the affection his brother was giving him. Shiro was comfortable with Keith doing Galra stuff, because all the Galra ever did to him was be mean, while Keith was gentle and caring.

Once Shiro was lulled to sleep by the grooming, Keith looked around the room. There were two doors to the room, but one of those led to a connected bathroom; the other door was the entrance/exit. There were vents in the room, but the grates weren't able to be opened, so that was good. The six sick people could stay in the lounge as long as Keith programmed the door to open from the outside and only from the inside to someone with Galran blood (so Shiro's arm wouldn't even work). He gently laid his brother down and got to work reprogramming the door. He was determined to program it correctly, so the other Paladins couldn't get out and try to fight if they were attacked and the Alteans couldn't get out either and work on the bridge.

He was grateful for all the lessons his pack gave him. It wasn't just fighting, though there was a fair bit of that too. There were other lessons too, like technical engineering and how to read Galran (and Altean). He learned how to braid hair, how to cook, and how to take care of himself (though his pack tended to do that themselves). When he asked his pack about the lessons, they told him that if they were going to have a kit in their ranks, then everyone was going to make sure he would be the best protected and well rounded kit ever, even if they weren't there with him.

Once he finished reprogramming the door, he set off to the lion hangars, starting with Black Lion. He approached Black, who knelt down allowing him entrance. "Hi, Black."

"Hello, little one." Keith all but collapsed into the pilot's seat, which Black noticed. "What's wrong, my Paladin?"

"Everyone else is sick, and I am trying to figure out how to ensure the enemy doesn't know that, but if we are attacked, they're only going to see one lion and that's a dead giveaway."

"Let me call the other lions here." Black roared, and a dobosh later, the other four lions ran into the main lion's hangar. "Thank you for coming so quickly. According to Keith, the other Paladins are sick."

Keith smiled as Red entwined her tail around Blue's. His lion was cared about her fellow lions. "Lancey Lance is sick?"

"Don't worry, Blue. I'm taking care of everyone," Keith spoke up.

Red perked up. "Cub, you're still here."

"Yes. I need help. I am trying to figure out how to ensure the enemy doesn't know that everyone else is sick, but if we are attacked, they're only going to see one lion, and that's a dead giveaway."

"Oh, is that all? You can pilot either Black or myself, and the rest of us can pilot ourselves."

"You guys can do that?" Keith asked.

"Of course we can. We prefer not to as we perform better with a Paladin," Green said.

"As long as you call the shots, we'll be fine," Yellow added.

"We just will not be able to form Voltron," Black warned.

"Okay," Keith replied. "Now, I need to pilot the castle, since it's just controls."

%%%

Keith entered the bridge and gulped. He never tried piloting the castle before, but he wasn't the best pilot of his generation for nothing. He walked over to the control center and looked over at the controls. The tension left his shoulders as he recognized the words. He allowed himself a smile as he slowly steered the ship towards a known friendly sector.

He left the bridge and went to the kitchen. He grabbed water pouches and lots of different bowls of food and food goo for lunch. He carefully made his way to the lounge. He opened the door and walked into the room, balancing the pouches and bowls carefully. He looked at the Paladins and Alteans and noticed they were all asleep. He smiled and put the stuff on a nearby table. He quietly left the lounge. He went to the kitchen and made some food for himself and had a small lunch. Then, he went back to the bridge and sat down in the Red Paladin seat, grateful for some time to himself.

He realized that he left his jacket and stuff on the training deck. He sighed, went to the training deck, and put his jacket on. He gathered up the cucumber slices and water pouch and went to check on the Paladins and Alteans again. This time they were awake, and the food was eaten. Keith smiled as he entered the nest and sat down next to Shiro as he ate his cucumber slices.

Shiro looked at his brother. "Did you bring us food, Keith?"

"Of course. I don't want you to starve. What would be the point of taking care of you if I was going to let you starve?"

"Don't forget to take care of yourself too, Keith. You need rest as well."

"I know. I was just checking on you guys again. Before I go, I want you to rest. The lions and I have everything under control."

"The lions?"

"Yes. They know you are all sick and will help me keep that a secret. Now, rest."

"Can you stay with us? At least for a little bit?" Shiro asked. Keith couldn't say no, so he curled up against his brother's side and began purring when he felt Lance curl against his back. It felt nice to have his crush so close to him. It was so pleasant and warm that he fell asleep.

When Keith woke back up, he was disorientated for a moment before he realized that he was in the nest he made, still sandwiched between Shiro and Lance. Keith was glad he inherited a Galran immune system and therefore didn't get sick. However, as nice as it was, Keith knew he couldn't do that again. What if there was an attack or a distress call or something else that needed his attention? He needed to not curl up in the nest again. He carefully slid out from between the Black and Blue Paladins and exited the nest. He collected the bowls and went back to the kitchen. He got more food and brought it back to the lounge, leaving it on the table. He returned to the kitchen to eat something and do dishes.

Once everything was taken care of, Keith laid down in his nest in his room and went to sleep. The next morning, Keith delivered breakfast to the lounge early and collected the empty bowls from the previous night's dinner. He went to the training deck after depositing the bowls in the kitchen. Keith spent most of the day on the training deck. He only left when it was meal time, even going as far as redirecting any alarms to the training deck, so he wouldn't miss anything. It was rough on him, being so isolated from everyone, especially his brother and his crush, but it was still necessary.

Keith would have spent the next day like that too, if it wasn't for a run in with a Galra command ship. He suited up and took Red out with the other lions following. It was relatively easy to take them out, but the ion canon from one of the command ships grazed Red, causing Keith to slam against a console hard. Keith knew he was going to be sore the next day at least. Once the ships were taken care of, Keith returned to the castle and changed into his casual clothes, noting the scrapes and bruises, which were just starting to show. He piloted the ship away from that sector to a lesser populated sector, hoping that that would help. He showed up in the lounge with more food and water pouches, leaving them on the table. He left without looking too long at the nest lest he be tempted to curl up in it. Fortunately, the Paladins and Alteans seemed to be taking his advice and were sleeping every time he walked into the lounge to check on them and leave them food and drinks.

The next day, Keith did get some more training done before another command ship found them. He entered the battle field in Black this time. Unfortunately, this command ship's ion canon hit Black Lion so hard Keith was thrown from the seat. He landed hard on his left arm, heard a definitive snap, and felt searing pain course down his arm. He staggered back to the seat and barely managed to finish the battle. He returned to the castle and, after changing into his casual clothes (minus his jacket), went to the infirmary. He found painkillers and took those while he set his arm and fastened a sling for his arm. He put on his jacket, allowing the left side to drape over his shoulder. He kept leaving food and drink for the Paladins and Alteans, but, now with a broken arm, it took twice as long to deliver the food/drink.

As he was delivering the food and drink for dinner, he heard a growling voice in his head. "Little one, come here."

'On my way,' Keith thought back. He made his way to Black Lion's hangar. He knew this was about his arm.

The second he stepped into the hangar a mostly black with a yellow tip tail came to a stop right in front of him. He gingerly stepped onto it and heard, "Sit down, little one."

Keith sat down, and Black carefully moved her tail up, so the other lions could see Keith. Yellow and Blue whined at the fact that Keith was injured. Red brought her head closer and purred to her primary Paladin. "I'll be okay, Red. I've done this before."

Keith's eyes widened, and he looked down. He hadn't meant to divulge that. Green cocked her head at Keith's comment. "You've had to set a broken arm before?"

Keith sighed. "Yes. Once everyone else is well, I will go into a cryopod to ensure it heals properly."

"Even if you don't, your brother will put you in one himself," Black warned.

"Yeah. It's just good timing that no one has noticed because they've been sleeping every time I've been in to check on them."

"You need some company, my cub. Come here, and rest with me." Red brought her head closer to Black's tail and opened her mouth for Keith to climb in.

Keith relented, climbed into Red, and sat in the pilot's seat. He brought his legs up and laid on his right side, so his left arm didn't have any pressure on it. Red lowered the lights all the way down, a little at a time as to not overwhelm her beloved Paladin. She purred to him, keeping it to a soft, comforting rumble, which lulled him to sleep.

When Keith awoke, he realized that he spent the night in Red, and he felt a little better. His arm still hurt, but it wasn't like it was going to feel better after a good night's sleep. Red realized he was awake and allowed him to leave. She would've loved to keep him there, but she knew the other Paladins needed him.

Keith made his way to the kitchen and collected the water pouches. He put them in his utility packs and his jacket pockets. He collected the bowls and put them on a platter to make it easier carrying them. He made his way to the lounge and opened the door. He walked in and, to his dismay, not all of the Paladins and Alteans were asleep. Allura, Shiro, and Hunk were awake, and Shiro spotted him.

"Keith? What happened?"

Once Shiro voiced his question, Keith realized his early perception of only three people being awake was wrong. He had six sets of eyes on him, waiting for his answer. He blushed slightly at the attention. "The lions and I had to defend the castle. Black got hit by a blast from the ion canon, but she's okay. I got thrown from the seat and broke my arm. I'll be okay."

Shiro frowned but didn't argue with his brother. Allura did though. "Why didn't you go into a cryopod? It would've fixed you up quickly."

"It would've left no one to take care of you guys."

"We are all starting to feel better. We can-" Coran started.

"Stay here and rest. If you move before you recover, you will have a relapse."

Lance stared at the Red Paladin. "Since when have you been knowledgeable about this?"

"My pack taught me about this. Yes, Galra don't get sick, but I do get tired. They told me to rest up, or I won't be up to par. It's the same thing with illnesses."

"And yet, you aren't listening to their advice right now," Pidge pointed out.

"Because there's no one else here to take care of you guys."

"Can you stay here with us while we eat?" Hunk asked, changing the subject.

Keith couldn't say no. He was lonely and suffering because of the self-imposed isolation. He climbed into the nest and settled himself between Shiro and Lance again. Lance leaned against the Red Paladin's right side, making him blush. Keith thought that Lance was just very tactile when sick, not that he had a crush on him too. Keith wrapped an arm around Lance and leaned his head to rest against his brother. Shiro reached over and stroked Keith's hair, causing him to purr softly. Spending time with his friends and family felt right to Keith, and he was reluctant to leave but wasn't given a choice when the castle rocked. He quickly exited the nest, nimbly avoiding the other Paladins' hands that tried to keep him there. He hurried in the direction of the lion's hangars, only for Red to growl at him through their bond. "Do not try to fly with any of us, cub. You are grounded until you get fixed up."

Keith pouted but went to the bridge. Even if he wasn't allowed to fly, he could still help in the fight. He activated the particle barrier and fired on what ships he could. The battle was short lived, and Keith escaped without injury. He piloted the ship to another sector of space, hoping to avoid detection until everyone else was well again. He went to the kitchen and prepared lunch. He brought lunch to the lounge using the system he had come up with that morning. He entered the lounge and served lunch before settling down on Shiro's left and leaned over to rest against his brother's lap.

Shiro noticed his eyes flutter closed and began petting Keith's hair with his left hand while eating with his right. Once he was done eating, he said to the room but softly enough to not awaken Keith, "Once we all feel better, Keith needs to rest. We'll put him in a cryopod and then lock him in here to rest."

"I can reprogram the door to not let him out," Pidge piped up.

"But he seems like he needs company," Lance pointed out.

"Well, a couple of us could stay with him for the day," Hunk suggested.

"We can decide who will stay with him tomorrow. For now, let's rest," Shiro stated, letting Keith sleep on him. The team could tell how much of an impact these past few days had on their part Galra teammate as he slept all afternoon, draped over his brother's lap.

When it was dinnertime, Keith's eyes fluttered open, which didn't go unnoticed by anyone.

"Good evening, Mullet," Lance greeted.

Keith slowly sat up, and his eyes roved over his teammates. "You guys are looking like you feel better." He yawned. "I'd wager another night here, and you'll be all better. Is anyone hungry or thirsty?"

"We are, but you're still tired," Hunk pointed out.

Keith suppressed a yawn. "I'll go get food and then-" He cut himself off, cocked his head, and then sighed. "Apparently, the lions want a word with me, so after I deliver your food, I will go see what they want and, then, come back here."

Keith did just that. He delivered the food to the resting Paladins and Alteans before walking into the Black Lion's hangar, where all the lions were staying until their Paladins were well again. Black offered her tail for Keith to sit on, which he did. When she brought her tail up, Keith heard her growl, "Why did you fight this morning?"

"None of you said I couldn't fight. Just that I couldn't fly with you."

"I said you were grounded, cub."

"I took that to mean that I couldn't fly."

"I meant it both ways."

"What?!"

"Once the other Paladins, the princess, and her advisor are well, you are grounded from flying and solo training for a week."

Keith pouted. "What if we're attacked?"

"Lance will fly with me."

"Fine. Can I go back to the lounge? The other Paladins want me to rest with them. They should be well tomorrow morning."

Red purred to her Paladin. "Of course, cub. I still care about you. You are my cub. I only want you to take care of yourself."

"I know, Red. It's a hard habit to break, but I'm trying."

"We know, little one. Give our regards to our Paladins, and get some rest." Black slowly lowered her tail. Keith stepped off when it came to a stop on the ground. He left the hangar and went to the lounge.

He decided to reprogram the door early and without telling the other Paladins or Alteans. He took off the restriction he had put on the door on the first day. He entered the lounge and slipped into the nest, curling up against Shiro. However, he started grooming Shiro's hair again. As much as it soothed Shiro, it was also soothed Keith. He discovered this when he groomed Regris after he had a nightmare. He liked how the grooming felt, whether he was giving or receiving it.

Keith ended up falling asleep with his tongue out a little bit. Lance noticed it and couldn't help but snicker. "Keith is blepping!"

Everyone looked at the sleeping Red Paladin, and, indeed, his tongue was poking out of his lips a little bit. Hunk grinned. "So he is."

"Leave him be. He is tired." Shiro gently grasped Keith and laid him down. "He's been so good taking care of us. We need to return the favor tomorrow."

"I volunteer to keep him company," Lance declared.

"I think he may want family when he first gets out of the cryopod. If you bring him lunch, you can stay with him," Shiro said.

Lance smiled. "That's good."

"Lance, do you have a crush on Keith?" Allura asked.

Lance blushed. "Wha-? I-I don't know what you are talking about."

"You do!" Pidge clapped her hands softly.

"It was obvious to the rest of us," Shiro said. "Keith was oblivious to your crush, but he likes you too, Lance. Use this time to get used to spending time with him."

"Can I cuddle with him again?" Lance asked. Shiro smiled and carefully moved Keith over to his other side, so Lance could cuddle him. The injured Paladin was sandwiched between Shiro and Lance as they all fell asleep.

The next morning the Paladins and Alteans felt a lot better. Keith knew he needed a session in the cryopod to fix his arm. He dutifully followed Shiro and Coran to the infirmary and let them prep him and a pod for him. He stepped into the pod, let the semi-clear front appear, and closed his eyes. The rest of the castle inhabitants left to take showers and change their clothes. They were glad they picked out more clothes at the space mall.

After her shower, Pidge reprogrammed the door to the lounge as promised. Shiro went to the infirmary to wait for Keith to come out. A couple of vargas after he was put into the cryopod, the pod opened, and Keith stumbled out and into his brother's arms. Shiro caught Keith, easily lifted him up into his arms, and carried him into the lounge. He entered the nest and settled Keith next to him, carding his fingers through his thick mullet. "Takashi?"

"It's all right, Keith. You need to rest, but you also need company. I'm going to keep you company until lunch, when Lance is coming in." Shiro smiled when Keith's head shot up. "Yes, Keith. You get to spend at least the afternoon, if not longer, with your crush, who has a crush on you."

"He does?"

"I do." Shiro and Keith looked at the door to see Lance leaning against the wall. "What's the big idea of telling Keith?"

"So, you two would stop dancing around your feelings for each other."

Keith stared at Lance and shyly held his arms open. Lance grinned and dove into the nest, gathering Keith up into his arms and pulling him onto his lap. Keith nuzzled Lance and purred to him as he relaxed against him, completely okay with resting with Lance.

Fin


End file.
